Why We Love Jubala Coffee: Is This Raleigh’s Best Coffee Shop?

It’s not hard to find a coffee shop in Raleigh, there seems to be one every hundred meters, but none drive us back more often than Jubala Coffee on Hillsborough Street.

Jubala has been our go-to coffee shop for many years now, because they consistently make great coffee, the vibe is always on point, the the baristas care about offering a wonderful customer experience, every time.

If you follow us on Instagram, you’ll probably already know that Jubala Coffee is a place you’ll find us at often. 

We are regulars here, at least once per week since moving to Raleigh, and if we lived closer than our current 15-minute drive, it could be daily.

In this guide, we share all the reasons why we love Jubala Coffee and you will too!

About Jubala Coffee

Jubala Coffee is a popular coffee shop in Raleigh, which has been serving the community since 2011.

It was founded by Andrew Cash, who was inspired by a Kenyan man he met on his travels, who taught him the power of compassion and friendship.

Since opening its flagship in North Raleigh, Jubala quickly gained a loyal following for its high standards of coffee, friendly atmosphere, and commitment to sustainability.

Jubala is a premier specialty café known for their strong, fresh coffees and tasty small bites menu. The menu includes a variety of espresso-based drinks, french press, drip coffee, pour-over coffee, and a selection of pastries and snacks.

All of their coffee is roasted by Counter Culture Coffee in Durham twice a week to provide handcrafted coffee, freshly prepared one cup at a time. They also source takeout cups and other items from sustainable and ethical producers.

Although we recommend you skip the single use and ask for a ceramic mug.

Jubala Coffee has three locations; Jubala Village Coffee in Lafayette Village, Hillsborough Street and North Hills.

Jubala Coffee is a beloved fixture in the Raleigh coffee scene, known for its commitment to quality and community engagement. They also have a location in North Hills, which we love and frequent often.

Our Experience at Jubala Coffee on Hillsborough Street

Although they have three locations throughout Raleigh, our favorite branch is on Hillsborough Street underneath the Aloft Hotel and right across the street from NC State University.

With views overlooking the iconic Bell Tower, Jubala on Hillsborough Street is a popular weekend breakfast spot for NCSU students.

As for their baristas, I find them to be super friendly and professional – you can tell they care about their craft and enjoy working here and providing stellar customer service and a great coffee experience. 

And I love how they use a dry erase marker on their countertop when writing orders to save on receipt paper.

We have been coming here for years and always enjoy the ambience and atmosphere.

The Drinks

Their professionally trained baristas create lattes, mochas, cappuccinos, simple espressos, and flat whites, plus specialty and seasonal drinks.

I’ve been drinking lattes and flat whites all over the world, and I’m grateful we have coffee shops like Jubala to call a local. 

More often than not I order a macadamia milk latte. They steam their milk to a silky microfoam and they always come with a nice coffee art design. 

In the Fall season, I love their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte; flavored with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and clove – which was delicious!

They also currently have a seasonal Campfire Mocha; a s’mores flavored mocha featuring graham cracker-infused milk, Videri Chocolate, and house made toasted marshmallow.

Even though I haven’t yet tried any of their specialty coffees (or pour overs), from all reports and reviews they are popular and well crafted too.

I have also been recommended to try their homemade almond syrup in a latte, and their Cortada gets rave reviews, as does their iced coffee.

When you visit, I highly recommend tasting one of their lattes, and don’t forget to check out their seasonal options and pair it with a biscuit, chocolate chip cookie, or the banana bread (see below).

The Food

I didn’t grow up in the South (well, way down south), and I am no expert when it comes to biscuits and don’t eat them often and it took me a while to acquire the fondness for them. 

But now I find them really hard to resist, and I have to admit the biscuits at Jubala are the best biscuit I’ve ever had – so do your taste buds a favor and get one of their biscuits! It’s why they’ve made our best breakfast in Raleigh list.

My favorite is their fried egg + pimento cheese + bacon and it is so good. I’m pretty sure you can get your egg to your liking, possibly even scrambled – I like mine runny.

Their biscuits come with a bit of brown crunch on top and fluffy and moist on the inside. They have quality fillings, but the biscuit is the highlight for me.

I usually feel some guilt and regret when I have biscuits for breakfast, but on this occasion I regretted nothing – you’ve got to treat yourself once in a while, right?!

Their turkey and avocado sandwich with sharp cheddar, chipotle aioli, is also our favorite of mine. I choose to switch it up by ordering on sourdough instead of multigrain.

Also, their avocado on toast with egg hits the spot nicely with a cup of their coffee.

As mentioned, our kids love their banana nutella waffles. They order them every time we visit. We used to order them one to share, but now they are getting older we get them one each.

They also love their chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip banana bread. Also on the menu are a small selection of baked goods, their house-made granola, and steel cut oatmeal.

I like that their menu is simple and not overwhelming! See the full Jubala menu here. 

The Space & Location

I love the location on Hillsborough St underneath the cool Aloft Hotel. Being close to campus, it’s a popular spot for students to work online and meetup.

Growing up in Australia I didn’t go to college and one of the things I love about living in Raleigh is the college atmosphere, and whether it be a college sports game, a college bar or coffee shop, I enjoy getting among it. 

They have both indoor and outdoor seating. Outdoors undercover and out on the sidewalk. 

We love sitting out on the sidewalk on a sunny day, and especially with young kids so we don’t bother those inside too much.

But even if I’m by myself, I choose a sidewalk table and like to watch the world go by up and down Hillsborough and look up at the iconic bell tower. And during the fall with the trees and leaf colors it’s pretty.

When it’s super-hot and humid in the middle of summer, we’ll grab a shade table or sit inside. And the indoors is a cozy enough space to be on wet days or the colder months.

It can get pretty busy during the school year as being close to campus there are lots of Wolfpack students at any given time.

It’s not a huge space inside, and students or digital nomads like ourselves tend to occupy tables online or studying for a while, so finding a seat can sometimes be difficult.

And if you’re looking to work or study in a “library type silence”, bring your headphones. I myself enjoy a bit of atmosphere and chatter and the music playing. It’s not super loud here, but it’s not dead silent either. When I’ve worked online there, the WiFi is good (you may get bumped off occasionally when real busy).

I like the smart interior space, the polished floors, wood paneling, retail display of coffee and merch, and plenty of natural light from the large windows at the front.

The back room area behind the counter has a coffee bar with stools and other seating against the back wall near the open kitchen.

Whilst the main sitting area too the right of counter has one large communal table and individual tables. Yes, this is a popular coffee shop, and places are usually popular for a reason!

If you’re looking for a spot for a meeting, small one-on-one meetings would be totally fine but I probably wouldn’t conduct a large group business meeting here – or have it outside. And of course, this is a great place to meet up with friends and socialize. 

As for parking, we typically find a spot on the side street (Logan Ct). If you’re looking at Jubala from the outside it’s to the right. 

Or, we find a spot out the front on Hillsborough, or even down Hillsborough a bit through the roundabout where the old Liquid State used to be and walk the short distance back.

Jubala also has their original location in North Raleigh, at Lafayette Village, but considering we currently live in Cary this location is more practical.

The Service

Another highlight for me is the consistently friendly, warm and welcoming service. From my personal experience, I know when I order my drinks and food I’m going to have a brief but pleasant chat with the server.

They, and the great baristas, always seem to be in a good mood and appreciate your business. 

And even when it’s busy with a short line, the coffee and food comes out prompt and hot. 

During the pandemic period when it was just curbside pickup, they handled the situation tremendously, and they still have online ordering which we’ve always found easy to use without order mix ups. 

The Verdict: Would We Recommend Jubala Coffee?

From their excellent coffee to their food offerings, to the vibe, aesthetics and location. Everything’s made fresh to order including their specialty coffees, their waffles and breakfast biscuits and homemade syrups from their open kitchen.

Whilst I can’t personally speak for their specialty coffees with syrups as I like to watch my sugar intake, my go to is a latte with macadamia milk (and their flat whites which us Aussies love – similar to a latte but made with less milk).

Their lattes are consistently up there and overall when I factor in the food, service, coffee and ambiance, this is THE best coffee shop – so we would undeniably recommend it to anyone visiting Raleigh.

If you’re passing through Raleigh, coming to school at NC State, or have just moved here and are looking for great local coffee shops in Raleigh, don’t just take my word for it, stop in at Jubala Coffee shop and experience the unmatched service, premium coffee and delicious biscuits for yourself. 

When you do, let me know in the comments below what you ordered and maybe on my next visit I’ll order that too.

While this is Craig’s favorite coffee shop in Raleigh, mine (Caroline) is Fount Coffee – it is in Morrisville, but so worth the drive. I also love Parallax Coffee Lab in Wendell (also worth a drive), and Little Native in Raleigh (post coming soon).

• Address: 2100 Hillsborough St, Raleigh
• Website: JubalaCoffee.com

Pin Below To Save On Pinterest